Four years ago, on March 24, 2014, the leaders from the Group of Seven (G-7) major industrial powers (Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.), issued a statement suspending their participation in the G-8 with Russia.
During the group’s crisis meeting on the sidelines of a nuclear summit in The Hague, the G-7 demanded that Russia “respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, begin discussions with the government of Ukraine, and avail itself of offers of international mediation and monitoring to address any legitimate concerns.”
The statement also criticized Russia for its “illegal attempt to annex Crimea in contravention of international law,” and warned of “significant consequences” for Moscow’s actions, adding that Moscow had “a clear choice to make.” A planned meeting of the G-8 that was scheduled to be held in Sochi, Russia, was moved to Brussels, noting, “We suspend our participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course.”
The statement from the G-7 came after a meeting on March 24 in The Hague between Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Deshchytsia. That same day, Mr. Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, with Mr. Kerry calling on Russia to defuse the situation in Ukraine, adding that additional sanctions could be placed on Russia if Moscow continued on its course.
In response to the news of Russia’s expulsion from the G-8, Mr. Lavrov downplayed the significance of the G-8 and emphasized Russia’s role in the G-20, which he claimed was where all economic and financial issues were being discussed.
This year’s G-7 summit is to be held on June 8-9 at the Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Quebec. Canada holds the presidency of the group for 2018. The European Union is represented at the summit by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk.
Source: “G-7 leaders exclude Moscow, warn of ‘clear choice’ over Ukraine,” RFE/RL, The Ukrainian Weekly, March 30, 2014.